Purity and Taint

007 Clear and Turbid

Old Zhao was a man of the Imperial Capital Region—at least, within three generations, all his kin and elders had lived there. So he, too, had never been east of the Immortal Dynasty's capital.

He unfolded a crude map and discussed the next direction with Chong Li.

Ren Yuan of Qingtian Gate had never been to Donghai Prefecture either; any farther east, and he wouldn't know the way. Besides, he had firmly settled into his role as a pure fighter and simply refused to weigh in on decisions.

After a few days together, everyone had come to know each other.

Little Zhao, like Ming Shu, was young and ignorant—unaware of how vast the Immortal Dynasty truly was, or how complex the conditions in each region could be.

And Little Zhao was gradually realizing that Ming Shu was, in fact, the core thread binding this small group together.

Old Zhao had some connections, but like him, neither of them had the standing—the identity of a eunuch from the Cold Palace had already sealed both their fates.

Ming Shu had realized this too, so the two of them, being of the same age, tacitly established a master-servant relationship.

Though back in the Cold Palace, one of them had still been a discarded prince with royal blood, Ming Shu had never taken that former identity seriously.

It was only in the past few days, after piecing together the events before and after, that Ming Shu suddenly understood: every move along this journey had been arranged around him.

What exactly did that mysterious and unfathomable Supervisor want to do with him?

Chong Li took the map. Over the past few years, she had traveled extensively around the outskirts of the Imperial Capital Region and had broad experience—most importantly, her profession was that of a Demon Hunter.

This was an organization secretly overseen by the Supervisor's Second Disciple, spread across the entire Immortal Dynasty. Its purpose was to continuously supply demon spirits for the Demon Subduing Hall sealed within the Sky-Toppling Observatory in the royal capital.

Wild demon spirits, if directly absorbed into the body and used for power, would cause massive contamination, inflicting terrible side effects on both mind and body.

Only by collecting them and sending them into the Demon Subduing Hall for refinement could their demonic power be utilized to a limited extent.

Chong Li briefly explained the concepts of Demon Hunter, Demon Subduing Hall, and Sky-Toppling Observatory to Ming Shu. Then, pointing at the map, she indicated two roads ahead. The northern route led into Zhuo Shui County, which was much shorter and more convenient for reaching Donghai Prefecture.

Opposite Zhuo Shui County, separated by Qingyuan Mountain, lay Qing Shui County to the south. It was a bit of a detour, but the advantage was that the Sky-Toppling Observatory's Second Senior Brother was organizing a demon spirit hunt there.

With many experts from the Sky-Toppling Observatory and Demon Hunters present, it was practically home turf. No matter which faction's enemies they encountered, their safety could be guaranteed.

What convinced Ming Shu to choose the southern route through Qing Shui County was his curiosity about demon spirits. He really wanted to see them—what they were actually like.

As for the fief town in Donghai Prefecture, it held little appeal for him.

The Zhuoshui River flowed north, merging into the Yellow Dragon Great River. It served as a flood-discharge channel for the great river, and the silt that constantly backwashed into it had changed the river's color.

The Qingshui River, on the other hand, flowed south into the Azure Dragon Great River. The water conditions there were much better than in the north.

Originally, a man-made canal was supposed to pass through this area, connecting the two rivers. Unfortunately, in the final years of the previous dynasty, the canal excavation sparked a rebellion, plunging the realm into chaos and toppling the old dynasty.

After the Great Jin unified the land, the matter was never brought up again. So the canal south of the Qingshui River was barely usable, while the northern section of the project remained abandoned.

Separated by just one mountain, the two regions had completely different levels of prosperity.

Qing Shui County could already be considered a thriving city, flourishing thanks to water transport.

Zhuo Shui County to the north, however, had to focus on developing land routes, building wide and sturdy roads westward into the Imperial Capital Region just to barely meet performance evaluations.

Qing Shui County was populous and bustling, with heavy merchant traffic, which increased the chances of attracting or breeding demon spirits.

It was said that this time, more than one demon spirit had appeared in Qing Shui County, and they were exceptionally powerful.

Untreated demon spirits would erode a host's mind, pollute their soul, and even control their body.

That was what it meant to lose control.

Once out of control, the possessed person would be unable to suppress their craving for human flesh and souls, launching large-scale erosion and plunder.

Some highly intelligent demon spirits operated in secret, even using human activities and accidents to rationalize their killings and plundering.

As for the demon spirits in Qing Shui County this time, the Demon Hunters who first discovered them had acted without reporting, resulting in two losses and one severely injured. The survivor barely escaped and sent a distress signal to the Sky-Toppling Observatory.

That was why the Second Senior Brother had personally stepped in to lead the hunt.

Based on Chong Li's own speculation, these two demon spirits might have been operating in the city for years—maybe even over a decade.

If they also had the ability to control ordinary humans, this battle would not be easy. That was why the Sky-Toppling Observatory had secretly mobilized many people.

Only then did she dare say that going there would be like being on home turf.

Old Zhao, however, wondered if this might be a trap targeting the Demon Hunters and the Sky-Toppling Observatory.

Drawing all their trump cards in.

Such considerations, he figured, the Supervisor must have already accounted for. Since action was unavoidable, exposure was inevitable. Showing some strength could also serve as a deterrent.

And with such a major incident in Qing Shui County, the Academy officials governing the area, as well as the high-ranking Immortal Dynasty ministers behind them, would all be implicated.

The enemy had chosen the timing of the new emperor's ascension—a truly clever move.

Since they had decided to take that route, there was no rush. Chong Li needed to contact the other side again to confirm the situation, to avoid leading Ming Shu and the others straight into a chaotic battlefield.

Ming Shu and the others could take their time traveling. He once again confirmed with Old Zhao that he truly was unfit for martial arts training.

It wasn't just that he couldn't practice the Sunflower Body Refining Art—other common martial arts techniques were unsuitable for him as well. Forcing it might damage his body.

Chong Li also told Ming Shu that martial arts weren't necessary to bond with a demon spirit. Some people, without any martial arts or spells, were just ordinary mortals, yet if their compatibility was high enough, they could still gain a demon spirit's power.

And besides the Martial Artists of the jianghu, there were the sorcerers of the Sky-Toppling Observatory, the scholars of the Academy, the Taoists of the Dao Sect, and the very rare Buddhist Cultivators of the Buddhist Sect.

The Dao Sect itself was split into the Northern and Southern Factions. In the final years of the previous dynasty, with the fall of the former royal house, the Dao Sect—which had supported each other—fractured completely. One faction went north, far from the Central Plains, while the other went south to lie low.

In truth, there were even more cultivation paths in the world than these, but these few already covered the vast majority of cultivation systems.

Chong Li seemed intent on teaching Ming Shu this knowledge as well.

The first tier of a sorcerer was the [Qi Gathering Realm], and the second tier, the [Spirit Awakening Realm], allowed one to borrow the power of a demon spirit to a limited extent.

By the third tier, the [Star Condensation Realm], a demon spirit could reside long-term on the condensed star within the host's body without needing an external vessel.

However, limited by the host's strength, a demon spirit's combat power could not match what it could achieve when stored in a special external object—the upper limit of its fighting capability differed.

Theoretically, a third-tier Star Condensation Realm sorcerer could carry at most two demon spirits at once: one inside the body, and one stored in an external object.

But unless the two demon spirits were complementary, they could not appear simultaneously to aid in battle. Instead, they would become a burden.

Ming Shu asked Chong Li what realm one needed to reach to contract an additional demon spirit.

At the very least, one would have to wait until the fifth tier, the [Spirit Refining Realm], before it was possible to contract a second demon spirit. If luck was poor, it might require the sixth tier, the [Void Refining Realm].

After repeatedly confirming that Qing Shui County had not yet begun any real action and that preparations on all sides were nearly complete, Chong Li led Ming Shu and the others toward the Demon Hunter camp outside Qing Shui County.